146 Rolex Highly Attractive and Extremely Important, Daytona Cosmograph, Wristwatch in Steel, “Double Swiss” Underline Dial, Brown Tropical Registers, Retailed by Tiffany & Co, With Pucci Papaleo Letter, Reference 6239

Estimate: €80,000 –⁠ 160,000

Model: Daytona
Reference: 6239
Case Material: Stainless Steel
Bracelet Material: Leather Strap
Year: 1963
Movement: Manual
Caliber: 72B
Case N°: 923 180
Dimensions: 37 mm
Signed: Dial, Movement and Case
Accessories: Pucci Papaleo’s Letter and Mondani’s Book
Literature: This specific watch is published in Franca and Guido Mondani Book “Daytona Manual-Winding” at Page 12–13 A similar watch has been sold at Christie’s “Rolex Daytona ‘Lesson One’ 50 exceptional examples of the world’s most celebrated chronograph wristwatch” Geneva Auction 10 November 2013 as lot 1 for CHF 269,000.

In 1963, Rolex launched the 6239 chronograph. Nobody at the time could foresee how this was the beginning of what would become one of the most successful and renowned lines of wristwatches ever produced: the Cosmograph Daytona. It represented the first chronograph with an engraved tachometer scale on the bezel: this simple but genial intuition, left more space on the dial for a better readability and a cleaner layout. Remaining in production until 1969, it was available in stainless steel, 14k gold, and 18k gold. A tremendous breakthrough of its time, the waterproof and sporty wristwatch was powered by Rolex’s modified Valjoux based cal. 72B, proving its extreme reliability. The present watch in steel is among the very first examples of reference 6239 ever produced, and displays all the correct attributes of a watch manufactured in 1963. The bezel, firstly, is the earliest and rarest variant produced by Rolex: it is calibrated to 300 units per hour, and features small hash marks. Later examples would feature dots instead of hash marks. The silvered dial is the most exciting aspect of the watch, namely in its “Double Swiss Underline” designation. As a result of the larger Cosmograph bezel, Rolex had to duplicate the SWISS stamping in order to make it visible on the dial. There is in fact another “SWISS” designation millimeters beneath the second one, found at the dial’s lower edge by 6 o’clock. Furthermore, Rolex applied an “Underline” below the Cosmograph text, which scholars hypothesize as signifying a transition from radium to tritium on the dial. The “Underline” is a characteristic seen on other early Rolex sports models, and today, is often highly desirable for its rarity. The subsidiary dials have gained a really appealing tropical aging that has turned them into brown color, absolutely charming and gorgeous. The Valjoux manual winding movement is further stamped ROW, which is seen on watches that were made for the American market. And that also explains the other preciousness of the present watch: the signature Tiffany & Co right below the underline. Considering the age of the watch and the old-style Tiffany logo, it is possible, in our opinion, that the present watch might be one of the first, if not the first, Rolex Daytona signed by the American brand which would have then given life to one of the most appreciated and sought-after collaborations by collectors. It can surely be said that finding a watch with this special signature is a privilege and is even more so when the watch is a Daytona 6239 Underline, one of the most sought-after of the modern days by collectors. A very similar example of 6239 in steel with “underline dial” and tropical register but not double signed Tiffany & Co, was sold as lot number 1 in the iconic auction “Rolex Daytona—Lesson One” by Christie’s on the 10th of November 2013 for CHF 269 000. Moreover, this specific watch is published in Franca and Guido Mondani Book “Daytona Manual-Winding” at Page 12–13.